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Takeaways from Game 2

The collective rush of wind heard throughout New
England late yesterday afternoon was not the approaching Hurricane Jose. It was the collective exhale of Patriot
Nation after New England’s 36-20 win over the Saints in New Orleans. The Patriots corrected many of the issues
that plagued them on both sides of the ball in the opening night debacle
against Kansas City. The Saints will
likely not contend for a playoff spot this season, so all excitement should be tempered
with that fact in mind. But a win is a
win in the NFL. Following are a few
takeaways from the win.

Defense

After an embarrassing performance in the opener
against the Chiefs, the New England defense improved dramatically in the play
of the front seven against the Saints.
Rookie lineman Deatrich Wise, a lone bright spot against the Chiefs,
continued his strong play in Game 2.
Wise recorded a sack, five hits on quarterback Drew Brees, and also had
two tackles for a loss.

The secondary showed marginal improvement, though they
still allowed a number of deep completions and communication breakdowns. Second year defensive back Jonathan Jones, pressed
into service after the injury to starting cornerback Eric Rowe, made a pair of
nice plays to break up deep passes. Rowe
was given the start in place of Malcolm Butler, who may be playing his way out
of Foxborough and out of a big contract.
Butler looked particularly bad on a rub route at the goal line in the
second quarter in which he allowed his man to break free and score the Saints
first touchdown.

Offense

In a complete reversal from Game 1, the offense showcased
all the weapons at their disposal. Nine
different players caught passes, and five had three or more receptions. Six different players rushed the ball,
including wide receivers Brandin Cooks and Phillip Dorsett. The play calling featured varied formations, quick
slants, jet sweeps and several well executed screen passes. Rob Gronkowski returned to form as a nearly
unstoppable force before being forced to the sideline with a reported groin
injury. Running back Rex Burkhead and
wide receivers Dorsett and Chris Hogan also left the game for periods of time
with injuries, however, none of the injuries are believed to be serious at this
time.

Three touchdown passes in the first quarter alone
proved that talk of Tom Brady’s decline was once again premature. Brady threw with the rhythm and confidence
that was lacking against the Chiefs. In
addition to the pure numbers (30/39, 447 YDS, 3 TD, 0 INT, 139.6 PR), Brady
showed the poise and command of the game that keeps him at the top of the list NFL
quarterbacks.

Coaching

One play stood out as a reminder of why the Patriots
have been the dominant team in the NFL since the turn of the century. With the Patriots deep in New Orleans
territory in the waning seconds of the first half and no timeouts remaining,
Brady scrambled up the middle on a third and nine play and was tackled well
short of the first down marker with only 15 seconds left to play. With the clock still ticking down, the
offense sprinted off the field while the field goal team came out, quickly
lined up in formation and got off the snap with one second left on the
clock. Stephen Gostkowski converted the
field goal to increase the Patriots’ lead to 30-13 at the half. Though the play only resulted in three
points, it exemplified the preparation and attention to detail with which the
Patriots approach each game.

Look
ahead

Next up for the Patriots is a match-up with the 1-1
Houston Texans in Foxborough on Sunday.
The Texans feature a strong defense led by J.J. Watt, which will be a
good indicator of the status of the Patriots’ retooled offense. The Patriots faced the Texans in the second
preseason game this year, but it is a safe bet that the Patriots saved a few
plays from their arsenal for use in the regular season.

Follow Bill on Twitter @BTravers_BSoT.

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